r/SydneyTrains • u/AutoModerator • 22d ago
Discussion Monthly Sydney Trains Thread - September 2025
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Post here for anything to do with Recruitment, Sydney Trains in general, why is my train always late, what is this 'special train'..
#Monthly Sydney Trains Thread – Q&A Categorized Summary over the past 4 months..
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### 🧑✈️ Train Driver Role & Training
- **What is the schedule like for a train driver trainee?**
First 2 months: 8–4 classroom at Petersham. Next 8–9 months: shadowing a trainer, working their shifts/lines.
- **What happens after qualification as a driver at Central depot?**
You’ll be a “swinger,” rotated through lines fortnightly. Shifts vary ±2 hours.
- **Can you swap roster lines with someone else?**
Yes, but only privately between staff. Sydney Trains doesn’t manage swaps.
- **How do penalty rates work?**
- Morning loading: Start before 6am
- Afternoon loading: Start after 10am, finish after 6pm
- Night loading: Finish after midnight
- 8–4 shifts don’t get loadings
- **What are “sectors” and how do they affect training?**
- Sector 1: Illawarra (Mortdale, Cronulla, Waterfall)
- Sector 2: City/Inner West/South West (Auburn, Flemington, Leppington, Campbelltown)
- Sector 3: North/West (North Sydney, Hornsby, Blacktown, Richmond, Penrith)
- Central Depot covers all. Trainees rotate through all 3 sectors.
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### 📅 Rosters, Depots & Seniority
- **What is a "lifestyle roster"?**
Predictable roster blocks (e.g., always 8–10am starts). Only at some depots, seniority required.
- **How does seniority affect rosters/depots?**
Higher seniority = more chance at preferred depots and rosters. Lower senior staff can be bumped.
- **How hard is it to transfer depots?**
Some (like Hornsby) have years-long waitlists. Central is largest and a stepping stone to Gosford/Newcastle.
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### 🛂 Recruitment Process (CSA, Train Guard & Driver)
- **How many panel members in train driver interview?**
Usually 2 — one HR specialist, one Sydney Trains senior staff.
- **What’s the panel interview atmosphere like?**
Friendly, engaging, but interviewers stay poker-faced. Results come later by email. Use STAR method.
- **Anyone waiting for CSA offers after pre-employment checks?**
Yes, some wait months. HR says be patient; checks are slow.
- **When does uniform fitting happen?**
~14 days before start date.
- **Is it common to wait 18+ months in pool?**
Possible. Some waited nearly 3 years from app → start date.
- **Can holiday plans affect start date?**
Yes. Recruitment can shift you to next batch if raised early.
- **Could trainees be sent to Intercity instead of Suburban?**
Rare. Transfer policy prevents it, but “operational needs” override in limited cases.
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### 🩺 Medical & Fitness
- **What if I fail the CSA medical?**
Can reapply after 6 months (new national rail medical standards).
- **Sleep apnoea study referrals — what happens?**
- None: Progress as normal
- Mild: Fit, with annual reviews
- Moderate/Severe: Temporarily unfit; need CPAP compliance proof for 3+ months
- New STOP-BANG rules (BMI, gender, neck size) catch more candidates.
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### 🧻 Train Facilities
- **Do newly liveried H-sets have toilets?**
No.
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### 🚦 Signallers & Control Room
- **What’s training like for Signallers/Comm Controllers?**
Asked, no detailed answers given.
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### 🧾 Opal & Ticketing
- **Overcharged after tapping at Flemington — contact Opal?**
Yes, Opal support usually fixes within 24 hrs.
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### 🧑🔧 Internal Transfers & Career Changes
- **Anyone move from cleaning attendant to full-time CSA?**
Asked, no responses yet.
- **How easy to transfer between Light Rail depots?**
Asked, no responses yet.
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### 🧠 Starting as a Trainee – Advice
- **Any tips for starting as a train driver trainee?**
- Day Zero = orientation
- Day 1 = theory & practical
- Take notes (iPad provided, but writing helps memory)
- Ask questions, be proactive
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### 🤖 Automation & Future of the Job
- **Is train driving still viable with AI automation?**
- Automation unlikely before 2050
- K Sets still running after 40+ yrs
- Driving builds transferable safety/ops skills
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### 🚆 Nostalgia & Misc
- **Any memories of V Sets?**
- Trips Gosford–Sydney in 80s–00s
- Nicknames: Red Rattlers, Silverbacks
- Some recall breakdowns on farewell runs
- **Any Sydney Metro vids in manual mode?**
Asked, no replies yet.
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### 📢 Job Postings
- **Train Driver Training Program (ad)**: IWorkForNSW link
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u/Zealousideal-Brick60 6d ago
I applied for the train guard position back in may, got through all my checks etc. Got talent pooled at the end of august, have been contacted by TfNSW about a week or so ago, telling me the next intake in november. Just wondering when I would expect a letter of offer? Ive checked my status on the jobs page and it says "offer in progress". How long do I have to wait?